Second week in a row, Cowboys win but don't cover.

Arghh.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 08:37 AM | Comments (204)
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New Hampshire's leading conservative newspaper throws in for Not Romney Newt.

America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year. We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing.

He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President. A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again.

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Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate. But Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running. In this incredibly important election, that candidate is Newt Gingrich. He has the experience, the leadership qualities and the vision to lead this country in these trying times. He is worthy of your support on January 10.

Personally I've never seen any evidence that a newspaper's endorsement moves a lot, or actually any, votes. The Union Leader's mixed endorsement record testifies to that. The real benefit to Newt is that today and for the next couple of days there will be a ton of media and blog stories about the endorsement. That's going to be a lot of free "earned" media for him.

Another benefit...Romney didn't get the endorsement. Mitt is a lot like Hillary 4 years ago, he's the inevitable candidate. That's a great position to be in right up until the moment you aren't inevitable and then you're done. Obviously a newspaper endorsement isn't the same as losing Iowa but it's a dent in the "It's going to be Mitt" argument.

Related enough: Via Byron York, Rick Perry lands the endorsement of Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio is well known as an illegal immigration hardliner, which has been a problem spot for Perry since his "you don't have a heart" debate line about opponents of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

Perry and Arpaio will campaign together next week in New Hampshire.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:29 AM | Comments (119)
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I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

I moved a couple of reading projects to the front of my queue recently: Paul Rahe's Republics Ancient and Modern (one book but split into three volumes), and a re-reading of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Rahe's book is something I've been meaning to tackle for years and years, but kept putting off for one reason or another. Yet I found myself with a few days off and nothing particularly pressing to do, so it seemed like a fine time to finally delve into this project. And a "project" it is -- it's well over a thousand pages in the omnibus volume. (This is one book I truly wish had been available in an ebook edition, but alas.) I've always wanted to read a book that places America's Republic in a historical context, and does so without the usual academic leftist/marxist tilt. How do we compare with other historical Republics? Are we truly sui generis, or are we simply another iteration on an old idea? (A Hudson Hoover Institute Uncommon Knowledge interview with Rahe can be found here.)

As for Eco's wonderful medieval detective novel: it's the only thing that has stuck with me from my college Semiotics courses. Had I not discovered that book, the entire course would have been a total waste of time. I re-read it every few years (with Latin dictionary close at hand; Eco -- or his translator William Weaver -- leaves in great chunks of untranslated Latin). If you're a fan of Ellis Peters' Cadfael novels, this book ought to be on your short list. It's got the reputation of being a forbidding, highly-complex read, but don't be scared off by all the semiotics claptrap: it's a fun read even if you ignore the Latin stuff and let the Semiotics gameplay fly right over your head. (And the book is actually a good bit less clever than both it and its academic admirers think it is, but that's a story for another day.)

What's everyone else reading?

Posted by: Monty at 05:52 AM | Comments (78)
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... and Ace-athon reminder/update.

Hitting the tip jar via the PayPal button over to the left remains the preferred option for keeping the Head Moron out of the soup kitchen lines over the holidays.

But if you're buying stuff from Amazon.com, use the search widget below the fold (or the one in the sidebar) and, after being laundered through a series of offshore accounts, a commission from Amazon will make its way into Ace's coffers.

Through yesterday, about 250 items had been ordered. Excellent work, morons!

more...

Posted by: andy at 04:26 AM | Comments (76)
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What up 'rons? Hope y'all have survived the Post-Thanksgiving shopping apocalypse. So are you having a tough time getting through your leftovers and are tired of the same o, same o like sandwiches and such? Well, here are 5 Ways To Use Your Turkey Leftovers. I think I'm going to try this one tomorrow.

Smokey Turkey Quesadillas

These tasty bites are perfect for enjoying more football with friends. Simple, quick, easy and delicious–just the way cooking’s supposed to be. (Prep 10 minutes, Cook 10 Minutes, Serves 4 – 6)

2 Cups Leftover Turkey, chopped
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
4 Tablespoons Butter, separated
4 Large Flour Tortillas
4 Cups Pepper-Jack Cheese, grated
Sour Cream and Salsa, to serve

Combine the first three ingredients into a bowl and mix until evenly combined; set aside. Meanwhile, melt a tablespoon of butter at a time into a non-stick skillet. When butter has melted, add one tortilla into the pan. Arrange ½ cup chopped turkey, and 1 cup of cheese onto one side of the tortilla. Using tongs or a spatula, carefully fold over the other side of the tortilla to cover the ingredients. Allow the tortilla to cook and slightly brown on one side, flip and repeat on the other side. Remove from pan, cut into even wedges, and serve with sour cream and salsa. Repeat process for remaining ingredients.

Posted by: CDR M at 06:00 PM | Comments (484)
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So much stupid should hurt. Or lead to the King Missile suite of my space-age batchelor pad.

Come to think of it, the two are not mutually-exclusive. more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:11 PM | Comments (103)
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I'm sure you remember an alternate reality we lived in, not much more than a year ago, in which the media were extremely fond of reporting on political movements' tendencies to incite or perpetrate violence.

But it was all a dream.

Wait, what's this rose doing on my pillow...?

It was all a dream... or... Was it...?

When 26-year-old Nathan Shafer heard about the arrests of 19 Occupy Columbia members outside the State House last Wednesday, he did what lots of people do when they get angry — he vented about it on the Internet. He saw Gov. Haley’s Facebook post about the arrests and Haley’s comment that she “appreciate[s] freedom of speech,” and that’s when authorities say Shafer crossed the line.

“I hope someone murders you before I do,” Shafer said he commented on the post. “How’s that for freedom of speech?”

It is one of the most breathtaking not-even-hiding-it double-standards and unambiguous proof of profound bias that the media has not done any comparable coverage on this. A stub story here, an obligatory news blotter piece there; but none of the magazine cover, flood-the-zone linking of the Occupy movement to violence.

Posted by: Ace at 12:40 PM | Comments (284)
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Supposedly our choppers attacked two regular-unit Pakistan army outposts, killing 24.

What happened? It could have been a complete botch on our part.

On the other hand, maybe our boys fired on them because Pakistan troops were defending Al Qaeda or the Taliban. They seem to be increasingly blatant about supporting terrorists.

Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters and fighter jets of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 24 soldiers. Islamabad retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the international coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

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A spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, said it was "highly likely" that close air support called in by Afghan and coalition forces operating in the border area caused Pakistani casualties.

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Much of the violence in Afghanistan is carried out by insurgents that are based just across the border in Pakistan. Coalition forces are not allowed to cross the frontier to attack the militants. The militants, however, sometimes fire artillery and rockets across the line, reportedly from locations close to Pakistani army posts.

American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistani forces of supporting — or turning a blind eye — to militants using its territory for cross-border attacks.

If I'm reading it right, Pakistan shut all land routes, but not necessarily air routes into Afghanistan. 30% of our "non-lethal" supplies come via trucks through Pakistan.

Allowing the Taliban to fire mortars at US troops while hiding under Pakistan troops' skirts? Lovely.

Explanation: Actually they probably cut their air routes, too. The reason only 30% comes through Pakistan is that we send a lot of supply through Russia, a smart-guy informs me.

Russia hasn't closed routes yet, but they could.

Posted by: Ace at 10:37 AM | Comments (147)
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Rivalry Saturday is upon us. In the deep south, you've got the Dawgs taking on the North Avenue Trade School in Athens right now, and the Iron Bowl for braggin' rights in Alabama kicks off at 3:30 Eastern.

#1 LSU mangled #3 Arkansas 41-17 yesterday, setting up LSU vs UGA for the SEC championship game in Atlanta a week from today.

Also, Texas beat Texas A&M on Thanksgiving day, in what was likely the finale in that longstanding rivalry. A&M's moving to the western division of the SEC, where they can expect to challenge perennial powerhouses Ole Miss and Mississippi State for last place each year.

If you live in the North or Midwest, I guess there are some games in lesser conferences that you might be interested in too. I'm not sure if they even play college football further west, although I hear there's something kind of like it called the PAC-12 out there.

Posted by: andy at 08:36 AM | Comments (184)
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Climategate 2.0 is shaping up to be even more entertaining than the original. Watts Up With That? has a pretty good rundown. Also, some interesting thoughts on who might have leaked the emails appear here.

Additionally at WUWT, the emails are real, but the scary pictures are all faked:

Posted by: andy at 03:32 AM | Comments (302)
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